Susan Stackpole

Posts Tagged ‘life’

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“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.
There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right.
To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Do what You can with what You have from where You are now.

Bryan Gaynor, computer science major of Kennesaw State University, Georgia, has a secret love.  Dance.  He also has a not so secret health issue, scoliosis, which influences his dancing.  Bryan is charismatic and instantly endearing with an obvious passion for life, music, and most especially dance.  He knows the secret of success as has collaborates with his body and creates a unique dance style that stirs the hearts of audiences worldwide.

“You’ve taken your physical appearance, your size, and everything else and you’ve used it to your advantage brilliantly.  What else could anyone ask of you.  That was just sensational.  Brilliant!”

~ Nigel Lythgoe, So You Think You Can Dance ~

Bryan Gaynor’s So You Think You Can Dance Audition – “Ain”t No Other Man”, Christina Aguilera

Bryan Gaynor’s So You Think You Can Dance Audition – “Fireflies”, Owl City

Bryan Gaynor & Remote Kontrol

Bryan chooses to believe in the beauty of creation, the power of art, and Love, his love for dance.  Bryan parented an entirely new form of dance because his dance was too much a part of him to let it go.  He made a way and inspires others in the process of doing what he loves.

“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Taylor Swift is another prime example of someone who has created her own road.  Taylor’s decision early on to become a country star stayed her focus upon her goal transforming every block into a stepping stone.  She shattered the music industry’s illusions by going against everything she was “supposed to be” to succeed.  Taylor channeled her feelings of social outcast into teaching herself guitar and writing songs, developing her trademark candor ultimately catapulting her to international success.  Taylor’s determination to live her passion led her to create an entirely new sound that redefined the music industry worldwide.

What if we listen to our dreams and passions?  What if we allow our talents to lead us?  What if we believe in ourselves?  What if we know we are enough and feel lovable and worthy of every blessing intended for us?  What if we chose to perceive everything a gift of wisdom helping us to live our dreams?  What if we celebrate what is going right and use our strengths to bless one another?  What if we choose to believe life is happening for us?  What if we make a conscious choice to exchange being victimized for being victorious?

I made a life-altering decision this year …to find the blessing and to choose Love and Peace in every situation.  It required something unexpected …for me to be gentle with and kind to myself.  Those who know me would suggest it is an understatement when I say I was harshly self-analytical consistently focusing on what could be improved and how to improve it.  I was in a constant mindset of “not enough” being critical of everything because I believed it was motivating me to grow.  My spirit, one day, grew very weary of feeling as though it simply could never measure up, and it said, “Time to rest.”.  Spirit is our life force and pretty much runs the show.   “Now what,” I asked?  Spirit said, “You are Beloved, so just Be.  Be Love and Be Loved.”

Everything changed in an instant, and I began to see more clearly exactly how loved we are that God/J created an entire universe as our classroom and playground.  We are here to grow and learn, and beauty and strength is found in our imperfections.  My entire paradigm shifted, and everyday has become a gift.  How am I growing?  What am I learning?  Who am I becoming?  I choose to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness and focus on the positive.  I also seek to identify the blessings in everything, which sometimes requires creativity and deeper thought.

I used to think acknowledging one’s strengths was conceited, narcissistic, and self-aggrandizing and was certainly surprised to discover the opposite was true.  There is a difference between touting one’s self from a position of insecurity versus being grounded in peace and true self-love, and it is okay if it sometimes takes the former to get to the later.  Self-Love is fruit from the Tree of Life, which nourishes one to be a blessing to others.

“Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love”, a heartwarming story by Larry Levin, chronicles Oogy’s harrowing tale of barely surviving after being baited for fight dogs.  He was left in a cage for five days without food or water with a hole in his head and other serious wounds.  Oogy eventually connected with an amazing family, who adopted him as one of their own.  Levin pondered, “I’ve often wondered what kept this dog going – this dog, who never knew any human warmth or kindness …and he couldn’t stop kissing us.”  He is an excellent example that imperfection provides a greater opportunity to connect more deeply, heart-to-heart, spirit-to-spirit.  Levin shares, “Oogy is a sign of encouragement because inevitably everyone’s going to go through some horrible stuff in their lives.  You just can’t skip it.  This dog is living proof that you can go through the most obscene experience and come out okay on the other side and find love on the other side.”  Oogy’s story confirms the reality that we are all spiritually connected, beyond the physical, reminding us that, at our core, we are Love.

Larry Levin talks about Oogy

Faith is easy when things go well.  Love is simple when people behave lovingly.  What about when someone or something is imperfect?  Do we give up, walk away, write it off, or do we recognize the opportunity for deeper Love?  Do we celebrate the beauty, strength, and gifts in imperfections?  Choosing Love goes beyond, helping our hearts, minds, and spirits mature.  Love nurtures potential, recognizes possibilities, and is the seed for miracles.  I choose Love.

May You see yourself through the eyes of our brilliant Creator understanding You are a glorious gift and a blessing in the world.  Know your “flaws” are “on purpose”, beautiful to the Creator, and offer You the opportunity to Love yourself more deeply in order to Love others more genuinely.  Imperfections are greater windows through which Love can flow.  May You celebrate the unique and wonderful treasures You bring to the world.  May You courageously be your marvelously authentic self  radiating brilliant light and inspiring others to shine with You.  May joy, Love, and peace fill your heart, mind, soul, and universe.  Know You are cherished, exquisite, and protected.  You are a divine miracle.  You are BeLoved.        ღ

©2011 Susan Stackpole  www.susanstackpole.com

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Care to use this article for your e-zine or newsletter?  Please include the following

Susan Stackpole, certified creative consultant and results expert, is the #1 coach helping celebrities, VIPs, and You celebrate your inner superstar and manifest destiny.  Ignite your potential, jump-start your success, and achieve quick, effect results while living your dreams.  Please visit www.susanstackpole.com for free resources on living your best life.  Sign up for the monthly newsletter, which includes celebrity tips on manifesting destiny in style.   Contact Susan to map your destiny today.

Aloha.

Thank You for taking time to be with me here.  I believe you found this article for a reason.  My wish is that you feel cherished, loved and inspired.  May you curl up in soft clothes, settle into a cozy chair, sip a delicious beverage, and allow your dreams to come out and play.

Well… here goes…

The onset of summer brought with it a brief discussion with one of my youth mentees about why we both adore summer.  Is it the sweet breeze gently wafting the billowy sheer curtains of an open window as one enters a coma-like state of sleep after a day of outdoor fun?  Is it the beach, festivals, marshmallows roasts, parks, picnics, pools, and vacations?  It’s all that and more.  Summer is possibility.

Possibility is defined by Princeton Dictionary as “a future prospect or potential, as in, ‘this room has great possibilities’, and also as “the capability of existing or happening or being true.”

What is possibility?  Possibility is so many things.  Possibility is the blank canvas fully submitting itself to an eager artist.  Possibility is an empty parcel of land that becomes a glorious estate in the capable hands of a talented architect.  Possibility is a holiday weekend with a full tank of gas and the open road wrought with raw adventure sprung to life by the driver’s whimsy.

Paper represents possibility.  Years ago, it was the crisp virgin ivory sheet of paper inching along the scroll of a typewriter, excitedly awaiting the indentation of black letters sprawling across it like musical notes on a staff telling a story.

The paper thoughtfully ponders its future, wondering, “Will I be the next great novel?”  It smiles, considering, “Perhaps I shall announce a baby’s birth.”  Solemnly, it stands tall, puffing out its pristine chest, declaring, “I will be a newspaper and share information with the world.”

Ancient people chiseled on stone tablets.  Ancestral laborers pounded out papyrus.  Today, paper’s mass production has become almost synonymous with it being taken for granted.  Paper is now a glaring snowy rectangle on a square electronic screen waiting emotionless as the beckoning cursor flashing, imploring someone to write something meaningful.

Possibility is woven into the fiber of every moment.  It is found in every action, breath, feeling, heartbeat, sound, and thought.  Possibility is choice, freedom, hope, the belief in miracles, and sometimes the only thing that keeps some people going.  Possibility is the expanding belief in what can actually happen.  Possibility is that instant when life changes in a flash in such as astonishing way that it fully engages all the senses and calls one to action.

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Congratulations, it’s a boy!”

“Ms. Watson, You’ve been promoted to a new position in Paris.”

“Mr. James, Your book is being published.”

And so on.

Possibility is about that bit of magic, that spark which ignites passion and brings new creation into existence.   Possibility is walking in faith, knowing that every situation has the potential to be a miracle.  A dash of faith, a smidgen of trust, sprinkled with a generous helping of belief, and, voila, dreams become reality.

Possibility has the heart of a child, the cleverness of a crafty schoolboy, and the savvy of royalty.   Possibility is activated by honoring the quiet voice inside.  It sometimes is being deliciously self-indulgent, which, in turn, can and does change the world by inspiring others to honor the dreams in their heart.

“Eat, Pray, Love” is the story of possibility.  It’s the story about a woman discovering herself and the secrets of happiness, serenity, and love, of course.  Some may say her journey was incredibly selfish, yet that journey led to a best-selling book that inspired thousands of people and has become movie starring Julie Roberts, which will go on to inspire thousands more to live their best lives.  It has created for her more possibilities and the opportunity do more of what she adores …writing.

You posse something rare and beautiful and unique to you – your heart, wherein exists possibility and the guidance to find your way in this world.  Each of has what I call a Heartstar™, a dream seed planted in our hearts before we were born.  It holds the secret of who we are and why we’re here.  It’s the origin of passion and keeper of dreams.  People are passionate about all sorts of wonderful things – flying kites, racing cars, riding horses, making music, creating art, dancing, interior decorating, designing buildings, healing people, and the list goes on and on.  Visionaries fuel possibility with passion and bring dreams to life.

Is it selfish to pursue your dreams?  I used to think so, and now I feel quite strongly that the opposite is true.  It’s selfish not to pursue your passion.  It is self-absorbed to allow fear to prevent you from growing the dream seeds in your heart.  How can I say this?  Because it used to be me.

What if Rosa Parks didn’t get on the bus that day?  What if Thomas Edison gave up?  What if the Wright Brothers believed everyone who said they couldn’t fly?  What if The Beatles quit after a few disappointing gigs early in their career?  Why do visionaries succeed?  Possibility.  Bill Gates and Richard Branson, two of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world, are motivated completely by their passion for transforming possibility into reality.

What does it meant to live in possibility?  It means believing.  It means honoring that desire to learn a language simply for the fun of it.  It means honors the urge write a novel simply for the delight of it.  It means doing things that manifest joy in your heart and peace in your spirit.

I used to think life had a specific set of rules, and I would be rewarded for following those rules.  I’m not talking about spiritual guidelines.  I’m talking about mirage of the corporate job with shining benefits and happy retirement.  I’m talking about the vision of the house with the white picket fence, a tire swing, and 2.5 children playing in the yard. I’m talking about the things we tell ourselves we desire because they are supposed to bring us happiness.

Follow the rules, get a gold star.  Disobey the rules, get a red check.  For a long time, I followed these imaginary rules and life seemed difficult and filled with disappointment and suffering.  I was miserable, and it didn’t make sense because I was doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing.   To clarify, when I say,”miserable”, I don’t mean just a twinge of sadness here and there.  I mean it got to where I was enveloped by an inky Armageddon cloud to the point I no longer saw value in breathing.  My heart was literally dying for me to listen.  And I did.  And I’m glad I did because I began to understand what it means to truly live in possibility.

Julie & Julia touched the deepest recesses of my heart.  It is a delightfully transformational tale of living in possibility and illustrates what it really means to fully live by savor every morsel of life.  It echoes the resiliency of the human spirit, stripping away everything and finally becoming ourselves by stepping into possibility.  It is about doing what we love for sheer pleasure; setting our own course for adventure and allowing it take us where it will.  It is getting up every single time we fall and learning lessons.  It is destiny pulling us.  It’s awakening to who we are and have always been.  Julie & Julia teach us that by stepping into possibility, by taking time to be self-involved, by honoring that still voice inside us, which sometimes screams to be heard, we are able to be more, give more, and live the life intended for us.

If you’re still with me, perhaps you’ll relate to what I’m about to share.  I became a people pleaser early in life because I thought putting others first meant a complete disregard for self.  I realized much later that each of us is responsible only for our own well-being, and if we all did that, we could give and receive much more fully and healthfully.  Happiness is a choice not a condition.

It was accepted and expected during that time that I was the 24/7 emotional mini-mart.  People would pull up, spiritually refuel and then disappear without a trace.  I unknowingly participated because I thought that’s what it meant to put others first.

“You must first fill your cup before you can share anything with others” is something one of my most cherished gal pals says.  I finally understood what that meant the day everything literally came to a halt.  I’ll spare the details; however, suffice it to say that I gave until I was completely empty.  My heart physically boycotted.  The store closed.  The shelves were empty.  The windows and doors were boarded up.  The parking lot was vacant.  …and I felt completely on my own.   The people I most thought would be there for me were the first to turn their backs, or worse, kick me when I was down.  It was a huge wake-up call for me in terms of how I was living my life and nothing was working anymore.

The truth was, it hadn’t been working for a long time, and I was busy running away to avoid dealing with it.  I’d been miserable for much longer than I would admit to anyone, and I was working diligently to help everyone else live their dreams because I was too scared and didn’t know how to live mine.  I’m grateful because that experience transformed my life.  It taught me about possibility and gave me a second chance to be the person I came to be in this life.

I believe Love has a voice and that it’s the voice inside our heart that knows who we really are and guides us to live our true purpose.  Love is the voice that sometimes sounds crazy, which our brains attempt to rationalize.  Love is the voice we sometimes pretend not to hear when it asks us to expand our comfort zone.  Love is the voice that lets us know when we are “off the path”; even though we do everything we can to convince ourselves we’re “on the path”.  Love is the voice that sings our heart songs, reminding us who we are in our core.  Love is the voice that tells us why we are here.  Love is the voice that reminds us we’re all the same.   Love is the voice of Possibility.

©2010 Susan Stackpole

www.susanstackpole.com

♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥ ~ ♫ ~ ♥

Want to use this article for your e-zine or newsletter?  Please include the following

Susan Stackpole, certified creative consultant and results expert, is the #1 coach for celebrities, VIPs, and people serious about getting results and living their best lives.  Are you ready to ignite your potential, jump-start your success, and achieve quick, effect results while living your dreams?  If so, please visit www.susanstackpole.com where you’ll find free resources for living your best life.  While you’re there, sign up for the monthly newsletter, which includes celebrity tips for manifesting destiny in style.   Contact Susan Stackpole International today for more information on mapping your destiny.

The Power of Love

“Why dream on a dream that burns me?
Why dream on a dream expired?
I’m told this dream returns,
But lately I’m so tired.”

~ Susan Werner, “Through the Glass”

The scales have fallen from my eyes after what seems like several lifetimes of tremendous challenges.  My heart is renewed, and my spirit is a bit more resilient and wiser for the wear.  I’m brought to my knees by the realization of the beautiful gift God has given me, given everyone, in Love.  Love is the very fiber of everything in creation.  It’s also the most powerful force in the universe.  Love saves.  Love heals.  Love renews.  Love is the catalyst for every miracle.  Love is powerful beyond measure – with it, we are everything, and without it, we are nothing.

In my world, Music and Love are synonymous, as I believe Music expresses Love in a uniquely intimate way.  My deepest and most meaningful relationships connect through a common passion for the creative arts, especially Music.  I feel artists of the world share an unspoken understanding, as music comforts, inspires, revives faith, and motivates to keep moving forward even in the bleakest of times.  It’s a spectacular vehicle in which we express Love to one another, uniting people from all walks of life in a singular peaceful, celebratory moment.  Music confirms for me with absolute certainty how real God is and how much we are Loved.

Growing up, Music was necessary to survival, like breathing, often more sustaining and fulfilling than anything physical.  Music’s magical power mystified me, as it transformed me into someone else and transported me to another place.  One particular song, “Through the Glass”, offered me tremendous comfort growing up in a dysfunctional home.  Susan Werner understood the pain of loving people whose addictions caused them to disappear a little more every day.  She articulated the helpless feeling synonymous with witnessing Loved ones self destructing, wondering why God was taking so long to intervene.  She gave me permission to set boundaries and let go with Love, knowing God was, is, and will be the only One to ever save those lost in the dark.

Recently, I discovered something distressing about someone I once cared deeply for, and if I’m really honest, still care for, and I will most likely always Love in one way or another.  This person profoundly changed my life and inspired me to become the person I am today, and he is destroying himself inside out through addiction, “Leaving Las Vegas” style.  Demons long waging war are winning with a vengeance. For those who may be unfamiliar, addiction affects the individual and his/her family, friends, coworkers, and anyone having extended contact with the individual.  People often separate into two categories, either enabling the individual or giving up completely, and either way, the person in crisis continues to spiral further into oblivion.  I appreciate now that God, knowing my tender heart, removed this person from my life because the self-destruction was inevitable, saving me from watching one more person I Love being swallowed whole by the darkness.

Knowledge breeds growth and understanding and a different vantage point.  While reaching out to this person may be more enabling than empowering, I recognize something important.  Somehow, I believe in people when the world has given up on them.  Somehow, I see redeeming qualities when no one else does.  Somehow, as my dear sister so eloquently reminds me, I find rainbows in mud puddles.  For years, this very quality confused me and created tremendous heartbreak in my life.  The last several years have offered me some wonderful teachers with profound insight, guiding me in deeper self-awareness.  Love requires no action because it already is, and allowing Love to flow through me is the best I can ever do or be.  I cannot do this alone, though in asking God to order my steps, Love flows, even in the most challenging situations.

Today, I choose to Love through the glass.  I choose to focus only on the light inside everyone – to see and celebrate the good and let the rest go.  I choose to believe every person is a student and teacher both.  I choose to believe we are all created by God from Love; therefore, we are all One in Love with God inside us.  I hold the possibility that anyone and everyone can be anything they desire believing dreams really do come true.  I nurture the vision of blessings, healing, health, joy, and truth for every being on the planet, and I see us all stepping into the beautiful people we are all meant to be, living our best lives and affecting positive change in all whom we encounter.  I continue to believe in Love and the starlight inside everyone.  I bear witness to your true colors – amazing, beautiful, talented, wonderful You.  Even if no one understands or others are not prepared to stand with me, I am standing.  I invite you join me as I light an inextinguishable candle in the darkness.  I ask God order my steps.  I am God’s Child.  I am Love.  I am Light.  I am Music.  I am Me.  I believe in You, in Me, in Music, in Love, and in God.  Thank You, God, it’s a wonderful life.

♥

©2010 Susan Stackpole

http://www.susanstackpole.com